Columnist Jerome Corsi discussed the new book he co-authored with Michael Evans, Showdown with Nuclear Iran. He outlined how Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has denied the Holocaust and called for Israel's destruction. Further, he noted that Ahmadinejad, a radical Islamic Shiite, believes he is on a divine mission to bring back the Messianic figure-- Mahdi, a descendant of Mohammed. Mahdi is said to return when an apocalypse takes place and then bring triumph to the Shiites over the world including their Islamic rivals, the Sunnis. Corsi explained that the Shiites believe that the legitimate descent of authority from Mohammed is transmitted through family lines, while the Sunnis hold that leadership of Islam is secular.
While greatly concerned over Iran's nuclear capabilities (Russia has sold a major missile system to them), Corsi thinks a military solution on the part of the U.S. could be disastrous. Diplomacy or peaceful change within Iran is still a possibility at this point, he said.
However, he finds it likely that Israel might exercise the so-called "Sampson Option" and make a preemptive strike against Iran if they feel that country is on the verge of attacking them with a nuclear weapon. Because Israel is such a small country, if a nuclear bomb was dropped on Tel Aviv, it would destroy the modern Jewish state, Corsi commented.